Eclectic Human
A replica of the Neolithic carved stone ball unearthed at the Ness of Brodgar in 2013. Some 500 carved stone balls have been found, mostly in Scotland.
The purpose of these enigmatic and beautiful pieces of Neolithic art is still unknown. This one feels lovely in the hand — and it works rather well as a darning egg.
#Orkney #petrosphere #Neolithic #Archeology #Scotland #NessOfBrodgar
Sep 28, 2025 at 2:30pmWeb
Show threadJanPVSep 28, 2025
@EclecticHuman Never seen one of those before. It instantly brought to mind an egg insulator, used widely in communications and electricity support structures. I wonder if the recesses were for rope to lie within?
Show threadEclectic HumanSep 28, 2025
@JanPV Yes, some theories suggest the channels between the knobs could have allowed carved stone balls to be enclosed in twine or leather thongs to allow for their use as weapons (bolas, maces, slingshots) or weights.
Other theories suggest the balls might have been used in ritual or storytelling or that they served as markers of status, or even as testaments to a stone worker's skills.
Show threadPeter BrownSep 28, 2025
@EclecticHuman @JanPV having once held a 3-D print of one of the Aberdeenshire stones in my hand my personal theory is they are calculators.
We have no doubt that people 5000 years ago were making complex calculations about celestial movements but nobody has suggested how they might have made them.
Show threadEclectic HumanSep 28, 2025
@peterbrown @JanPV That's an intriguing theory. I'd rather like it to be true!
Show threadPeter BrownSep 28, 2025
@EclecticHuman @JanPV the difficulty is that many of these stones are slightly different. The number of lumps on each stone can vary considerably, so unless each user was using a different base for the calculations that puts the theory immediately in doubt.
Show threadJanPVSep 29, 2025
@peterbrown @EclecticHuman Nothing like full context! I don't think I advanced an idea; more a reaction.
Show threadPeter BrownSep 29, 2025
@JanPV @EclecticHuman I did. And I still do!
But I’m acutely conscious that without a proper study it’s very vulnerable to being unceremoniously shot down .
Show threadLionelBOct 5

@EclecticHuman

It looks as though it would have had string tucked into the grooves and been knotted, so that it could be held by the string.

Show threadDr Susi ArnottOct 5
@EclecticHuman May I ask who made this replica, and how? (Recently on Orkney and marvelling at investment of time and energy into #petrospheres - when only tools would have been other stones! But had assumed aesthetic not militaristic purposes, perhaps 'simply' pleasure:) #neolithic
Show threadEclectic HumanOct 6
@SusiArnott Here's information about both the replica and the original:
https://www.nessofbrodgar.co.uk/product/ness-carved-stone-ball-replica/
Ness of Brodgar carved stone ball replica

Ness of Brodgar carved stone ball plaster reproduction, created from a mould of the original. Height and width: 6cm (2.4in). Please note that because the replicas are hand-painted, there may be sli…

The Ness of Brodgar Project
Show threadSherri W (SyntaxSeed)Oct 5

@EclecticHuman It looks like something you would wind twine, yarn or fishing line around. Maybe strips of gut so it stays stretched as it dries. 🤔

Interesting!